The Cleveland Cavaliers have been in the news for all the wrong reasons recently. There have been reports that LeBron James will leave the team at the conclusion of next season, Kyrie Irving has asked the team for a trade, and the Cavaliers general manager David Griffin was fired. The Cavaliers certainly look like a team that is in turmoil right now. Today, the Cleveland Cavaliers finally got some good news when they signed Derrick Rose to a deal.
Derrick Rose to Join Cleveland.
According to Drose.hq on Instagram, Rose has finally agreed to a deal with Cleveland.
Contract details have not yet emerged, but all previous sources suggested that he would sign for the veteran's minimum of $2.1 million. This suggests that Rose is far less interested in the money and is instead way more interested in competing for a championship with LeBron James.
Last season, Rose didn't have much of a chance with a Knicks team that floundered down the stretch and didn't even come close to making the NBA playoffs. Kristaps Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony might have been on his team, but that didn't help Rose make it any farther. This time, he is hoping to contribute to an effort that would lead LeBron James to his eighth straight NBA championship. It will be made easier by the fact that Rose will continue to play in the Eastern Conference.
Advantages of the Eastern Conference.
The Western Conference has quickly become far more talented than the Eastern one. Paul George joined the Oklahoma City Thunder, creating a super team with Russell Westbrook. Point guard Chris Paul joined the Rockets, creating another extremely talented team in Houston. The Minnesota Timberwolves acquired Jimmy Butler, and now look like a very legitimate threat in the West.
And the Lakers, who have plenty of young talent, are starting to look scary with Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Kyle Kuzma.
And that doesn't even mention the team that were already really good in the West. The Golden State Warriors are still the defending NBA champions and effectively retained all of their top talent, including Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
The Spurs are also still really good, which makes the conference that much tougher to play in.
Rose in the East.
Derrick Rose has to be happy that his only real competition in the East will now be the Celtics and the Wizards, who really presented the only challenges to the Cavaliers last season. It's hard to see anyone else standing up to challenge the team.
For now, the Cavaliers have to be happy that they were able to sign Derrick Rose, especially if Kyrie Irving does end up with another team next season.
